Words + Internet

There is a perfectly good reason I have decided to wear these in my ears. I’m just not certain I know the reason. Lets dig in and see why one would decide to walk around looking somewhat silly. However, these AirPods are actually pretty comfortable and most importantly do not fall out of my ears. Whether on a run, a lunch time stroll to Chipotle or just wearing them in the office and confusing coworkers whether I am on the phone, they are indeed comfortable.

Our art director, Sarah, told me a telling tale of preference, pain and truth. One night, her boyfriend, Tyler* and her were scrolling through their respective Instagram's just like any other night. As he came across a 5 + 8 post that featured Sarah's work, he paused, registered it, and kept scrolling. He did not double tap. He did not "like" it. Sarah, who was obviously snooping (she's super snoopy), rightfully called out this inexplicable indiscretion. I can only imagine that an uncomfortable convo commenced.

We have invested what could be viewed as a disproportionate amount of time to culture for such a small company. We throw parties, leave at 2 pm on Fridays, almost never work late, and talk about our culture weekly. If that doesn't sound like the most soft as Silicon Valley shite you've ever heard, then you're probably reading this from a hover chair in Silicon Valley.

Imagine a woman, a single mom. She has a son who is fast – Olympic fast. He qualifies for the Junior Olympics. They spend their weekends on a busy and affluent intersection passing a pail. They're raising money for all the travel and registration expenses that are thousands of dollars beyond their budget. This mother doesn't complain. This boy isn't embarrassed. They just work and smile (two beautiful and joyful smiles) and they work some more. Someone takes notice and shares their story. The community converges and raises the remainder. They accomplish their goal, the boy wins some races and receives some medals. It's a nice story and everyone feels pretty damn good.

I can only imagine the amount of times this question has been asked in meetings over the last five years. It's a fantastic question because the answer is open, a bit blurry and always unknown. It's an answer that can't be known until some investment has already been made. That's risky. And, business people don't like risky, especially when it comes to their investment. Here are the three levels of investment (time, energy, money) and their respective returns (likes, follows, money).

Like all things marketing there is no silver bullet (ironically, I just learned, silver bullets are not proven any better than lead).* Since, I am in marketing (which I am just recently coming to grips with) I can tell you ROI is a huge pain in my tuchus. Clients are all like, "If I spend $1,000, can I get $1,100 back?" So annoying. I'm like, "Uh, maybe? Can we just try my cool idea and see?"

The other morning I walked in and saw Gabe got some new shoes. I liked them, so I said, "I like your new shoes." He shuffled his feet and replied, "Yeah? I got them on sale." I retorted back at him, "No! You just like them." He was puzzled. I think puzzled is a fair way to feel after that retort.

Vision is the answer to just about all questions when it comes to starting anything. It's a big buzz word on all the podcasts I listen to and books I start. And, when you have it, it's amazing and empowering and you become like an entrepreneurial X-man or X-woman.

Last week, I was thoughtlessly scrolling through Instagram, when something suddenly and clearly occurred to me, this sucks. And, that sucks. Because Instagram was once really cool. It was a place where you could post one picture at a time. And, as the name indicates, the original idea concept embraced and a photo would be taken and instantly uploaded. It was simple and pleasant and fun to use.

Why on earth would you sign up for MORE emails?

Jeez, that’s a tough one. I guess you might if they were funny, thought-provoking and scarce. We send about one email a month that is intended to provoke thought and is subjectively funny. If you don’t dig it- you should unsubscribe.